Julie Alves Cash

What is your role at the church, and what do you love most about it?
Director of Music; I love working with a dedicated group of musicians in the Chancel Choir and Brave of Heart band to make music together and lead the congregation in worship through song. 

Where are you from and what brought you to serve at BendFP?
I grew up in Naselle, a very small town in southwest Washington and graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland with a degree in Music Education; emphasis in voice and trombone. I began my career teaching music and math at Jackson Middle School in Portland before spending two years in Utah. While in Utah, we attended Springville Community Presbyterian Church where I directed the choir and worked with a teen Sunday School group. In 1999, we moved to Sisters as my eldest son was starting kindergarten. A few years later we welcomed the youngest of our three boys and soon decided it was time to find a new church family. After many church visits close to home, we decided to make the drive to Bend to give First Presbyterian a try. It felt like an immediate home. We transferred our membership from Springville and have been members here for nearly 20 years.My husband Brian and I volunteered as musicians in the worship band and I led a children’s choir for a number of years. Ten years ago, I took on the role of worship band director and accepted the additional role of choir director as we were emerging from the pandemic.

Outside of church, I serve as a Music Instructional Assistant in the Sisters School District, accompanying the middle and high school choirs, and working with the Americana Project music class.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I had a pet turtle and a snake as a child but I’m afraid of spiders.

What’s your go-to coffee (or tea) order?

Decaf Almond Milk Latte
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love spending time at the ocean, attending a multitude of concerts with my husband and am an avid thrift shopper.